Sigma APO 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this lense for my new Canon 20D because I did not want to spend $1200 on the Canon equivalent and was not enthusiastic about walking around with the white "you must be a professional photographer" Canon lense. I could not be happier with its performance. I have used it indoors at volleyball tournaments and dance competitions (very low light), and outdoors at baseball games. I've even seen it on the official photographer's camera at some events! I did end up buying a monopod because it is not the lightest lense, but what wonderful pictures it has produced. Some have even commented that my photos are better than the professional ones offered at the event.
I love Canon, so I don't have anything against their L-Series lenses. I know they are worth the money for those that have it. But for those of us that are simple "weekend warriors", this Sigma lense is a prince!

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One of the favorite lenses among news photographers, a 70-200mm f/2.8 or 80-200mm f/2.8 zoom also appeals to many serious photo enthusiasts. Although large and heavy, lenses of this type offer several benefits. Their very wide maximum aperture allows for faster shutter speeds than the more typical f/4.5-5.6 zooms, great for low-light or action photography at lower ISOs (film or digital) for images with less grain or noise.

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Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 SP XR ZL Di LD Aspherical (IF) for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)I have never bought a non-Canon lens because I just love the look, feel, and optical quality of the Canon line particularly the L series lenses. But I kept reading glowing reviews about this lens. On multiple websites. So, I went out and took a look.
First impression: the build quality is not as good as a Canon L series lens. Duh! It costs about 1/4 as much for goodness sake. This is a plastic lens - not metal. But I must admit that the build quality was pretty darn good. Better, I think, than the Sigma lenses I've seen. Fit and finish was very nice and tight. I'd give the build quality a 4/5. Not bad. I figured I could live with it.
Next, I put the lens on my camera. I'd read reviews complaining about the speed of the focusing. It may not be quite as quick as my 200 f2.8 L series lens but it was pretty darn good and for my purposes, plenty fast. A 4.5/5
I'd read reviews complaining about the noise and the fact that the AF was not USM. I thought the AF worked very quietly. Not at all distracting and barely discernable. Noise - not an issue.
Then, I took pictures with the lens and I was absolutely floored! How in the world did Tamron manage to produce a lens that performed so well optically for such a reasonable price?! Beautiful contrast, excellent resolution, gorgeous colors, and extremely sharp, particularly above f2.8. But, f2.8 is very good as well.
Obviously the first comparison that comes to mind is between this lens and the Canon 24-70 f2.8 L. I would say, I kid you not, that this lens is in every respect optically the equal of the Canon or better than the Canon. I could not believe it.
I tested this lens directly against a brand new copy of the Canon 24-70 f2.8L. Method: I tested both lenses on a tripod @ F 2.8 and 8.0 @ 28mm 50mm and 70mm. Target limestone wall 9.5 feet parallel to the sensor plane. Remote release employed. No mirror lockup. Center and all four corners were evaluated to my naked eye on a monitor using 100% crops. Both lenses were new copies received within the last 7 days.
The limestone wall lent itself perfectly to evaluating sharpness and subtle contrast and color rendition. There was enormous detail present in the wall with subtle colorations present.
Findings:
28MM F8: Tamron definitely sharper in the center and corners
28MM F2.8: Tamron definitely sharper in the center and corners 50MM F8: Tamron slightly sharper in the center and very slightly sharper in corners
50MM F2.8: Tamron slightly sharper in center and equal in corners.
70MM F2.8: Canon sharper in center and at corners. Incidentally noted was inability of Tamron to focus as sharply as I was able to achieve with manual focusing.
70MM F8: Tamron sharper in center with Canon slightly sharper in corners.
Some have said that there is less flare with the Canon, but if you use the lens hood that should not be a problem. I didn't notice excessive flare in my copy.
Admittedly there is significant copy to copy variation in both the Canon and the Tamron, but my findings convinced me that at 1/4 the price, and with the Tamron weighing 1 pound less than the Canon that the Tamron was the lens for me. Optically 5/5!!
I cannot recommend this lens highly enough. It is the first non-Canon lens I have owned and I am thrilled.

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SO) 28-75MM F2.8 XR DI F/CANON

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Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD Large Aperture Standard Zoom Lens for Canon Digital DSLR Camera Review

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(More customer reviews)So I've been bouncing back and forth between the big three competitors. If you're looking at this lens, you've probably weighed Tamron's 2.8 17-50 VC and Canon's more expensive but much beloved 2.8 18-55 IS that's been out for a few years. I finally broke down and went into a store to wrap my hands around all three, shoot some comparative video with the various IS/VC/OS, futz with the focus rings and zoom, etc. I did not run a full professional test on the image quality, but those reviews can be easily found online. In most fields the Sigma beats the Tamron, like Bokeh and low distortion. The Tamron is ever so slightly sharper at 2.8. At 2.8, I do get some easily visible circular distortion in the corners with the Sigma when pointing the camera at a window or bright source. I basically determined that image quality between the lenses was a draw. The Canon tests slightly better, but I found looking through that lens for the very first time that I was getting all sorts of unwanted flair at 2.8 indoors. I was at a pro shop in town, and I asked if other rental customers and pros had experienced unwanted flair under those conditions; they said yes. So I finally decided that the difference between all three lenses in terms of optical quality is very slight.
That left price, handle, build, and vibration control.
Price: Canon is about $1080, Tamron is about $550 with rebate, Sigma is about $640 depending on where you buy it (not including tax)
Handle: The Canon had the nicest overall handle. Since I'm primarily concerned with shooting high-end video, the range of focus is particularly important, as is how the focus ring handles (smoothness). On this front that Canon wins hands down. The focus ring continues after you hit the edge of your range, and dampens so you know you've maxed out. Both the Tamron and Sigma have hard stops. The Canon also provides the most breathing room, so if you're tracking focus, or need to attach a follow focus, this lens is going to make life a lot easier. The Tamron had the second longest range, though only about 20% more than the Sigma. The Tamron ring got caught and was a little jerky. If I applied outward pressure, the ring wouldn't stick. The Sigma was smooth and slightly dampened. However, it's range is super tight. This is my only complaint about this lens. You better be amazing at eye-balling focus, and have some killer dexterity to pull this off. The incredible feel of the ring makes this tricky, but not impossible. I actually found it easier to hit marks with the Sigma than the Tamron, because of the quality of the ring. For video applications, auto-focus doesn't really even matter. Sure it's super silent, but if you're pro, you're probably operating this guy in manual anyway. All of this said, because the range of focus (by that I mean distance the ring turns) is so limited on the Sigma, and because I'm using this for video; I'm still contemplating paying the extra $475 for the Canon. This would be the only reason I would buy the Canon over the Sigma.
Build: Like another reviewer said, the Sigma is solid. It feels great. I actually thought the zoom ring beat the Canon head to head. It's also lighter than the Canon, but made out of more rugged materials than the Tamron. In terms of build, Sigma is the winner in my opinion.
Vibration Control: After all of my testing, it was hard for me to gauge superiority on this front. With the Canon, the VC is obvious. It's also obvious with the Tamron. For whatever reason, despite flicking that switch on and off, I have not been able to visibly see the difference. The image seems to move fluidly whether I have the darn thing turned on or off. According to the instructions, the OS kicks in when the shutter button is depressed half-way. However, when I put my ear up against the lens, I can hear the OS working round the clock. It's very quiet, but the on-camera mic might pick it up. Regardless, I'm satisfied with the smoothness of the image. With both the Tamron and the Canon you can hear the VC/IS turn on. There is no sound associated with the OS on the Sigma unless you listen really closely (similar to Canon's IS on its new lenses).
Wrap-up: The Sigma has a few tiny setbacks, and if you've got the money and video is your world, get the Canon. I like the feel of the Sigma more than the Canon, but the focus ring on the Canon makes a big difference. This guy weighs less and feels great in your hand. The Tamron feels cheap by contrast, and the focus ring is loose and gets caught. Whether I was shooting video or stills, I would choose the Sigma over the Tamron.

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Sigma's new 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM large-aperture standard zoom lens covers a focal length from 17mm wide angle and offers a large aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range, making it ideal for many types of photography especially portraiture and landscapes.The OS, Sigma's anti shake feature offers the use of shutter speeds approximately 4 stops slower than would otherwise bepossible. The OS feature allows Sony and Pentax users the option of viewing a stabilized image in the viewfinder, a feature offered only by Sigma.HSM provides fast and quiet AF. Sigma's own FLD glass elements, which have performance equal to fluorite along with two glass mold and one hybrid aspherical lens, provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. The Super Multi-Layer coating reduces flare and ghosting. This lens boasts superior peripheral brightness and provides sharp, high contrast images even atthe maximum apertures. With a minimum focusing distance of 11 inches throughout the entire zoom range and a magnification ratio of 1:5.When you need to stand ready for any photo opportunity you need a fast aperture so you can shoot in low existing light or at maximum range with a flash. This Sigma lens is perfect. With its compact size and light weight, it's a necessary addition to your camera bag Please Note Vignetting will occur if the lens is used with digital cameras with image sensors larger than APS-C size or 35mm SLR cameras.

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Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP AF/MF 1:1 Macro Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras Review

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(More customer reviews)(Another year and one repair later, I still love this lens. Original review first followed by updates.)
First impression: right out of the box, this lens is smaller than I pictured. I had experience with the Sigma 105mm, and this is easily smaller and lighter. For travel purposes, it is ideal, plastic build or not.
I did get a few surprises when I put it on the camera (D70), so anyone thinking about purchasing this lens should pay attention. This info is already out there, I just didn't notice and was almost disappointed at first.
1: This lens is only 2.8 at 10 feet to infinity. The maximum aperture drops as you focus closer, and at minimum focusing distance, where many will want to work to get the true 1:1, it is all the way down to 5.6. That was quite a shock at first, but I soon found that at such close range, even 5.6 gives you very shallow depth of field. It just means less speed, so a tripod will almost always be necessary unless you are really good at hand-holding.
2: The switch between auto and manual focus requires you to push or pull the focus ring. I should have known this after working with the Sigma 105mm, but it is not obvious on this lens and I had to check the instructions. lol.
Again, this information is in other reviews, and it may be obvious to most users, but anyone new to macro should keep it in mind to avoid any surprises.
UPDATE: I've left off the old review taken from my first few shots, as I have much more experience to pull from now.
This lens captures beautiful photos, that much is certain. I have not tested the Nikon 105mm VR lens, but from the examples I've seen, this lens can still hold its own, even without VR. (I used to think VR was meaningless on a macro lens, but I have found many times when it would be useful.)
Strong points:
* Bokeh (out of focus rendering) is stunning
* Color is rich (super color with D70, can't wait to see what it does with a D300!)
* Lens is light, less than half the weight of the Nikon 105mm VR
* Focus ring is large and easy to use
Weak points:
* Auto-focus is slow, noisy, and hunts a bit at times
* Lens is not fixed length, short when focusing at infinity, extends out when focusing closer, a significant amount
* Plastic build (doesn't bother me, but some don't like it)
For my money, the pros far outweigh the cons here. I use this lens a lot for product photography (at work), non-macro flower and other small items, but I almost never take it all the way to 1:1 because I'm often too lazy to get out the tripod, or not in a situation where a tripod is usable.
One thing to note: auto-focus has recently started acting up on my D70. For a few weeks it would refuse to auto-focus, I would reboot the camera, take the lens off and put it on again, and it would start working until I turned the camera off once more. Most recently I have not been able to get the auto-focus to work at all. (It is the only lens in my kit that does this, so I don't believe it is the camera.) Since the auto-focus is always slow anyway, I've taken to keeping it in manual focus and just dealing with it. It's a hassle at times, but it does not detract from my enjoyment of this lens.
UPDATE #2: Tamron warranty and service are incredible!
As mentioned above, the auto-focus eventually stopped working completely with both my D70 and D300. All Tamron USA lenses come with a 6 year warranty (6 years!) so I printed a receipt off Amazon, filled out a simple form, and put it in the mail. A couple weeks later I received notice that it was being repaired, no charge of course, and it gave me an order number to track it.
I was leaving on a trip a few days later and didn't want it sitting outside my house while I was gone, so I contacted Tamron service department to see if I could change the shipping address. It had already shipped out and would be at my house within the week. Unlucky for me it arrived the day I left, but I had someone take it inside for me the next day, so no worries. It has been tested and works perfectly! 5 additional stars for Tamron's repair department!
I would recommend this lens to anyone wanting to do macro work, portraiture, product photography, or any not-quite-macro nature shots with lots of color.

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Tamron 90MM F2.8 DI F/NIKON

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